Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Successfully Test-Fires Ahead of Upcoming Mars Mission
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket completed a successful test-firing of its seven BE-4 engines, paving the way for the upcoming launch of NASA's ESCAPADE mission to Mars.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket achieved a significant milestone with the successful test-firing of its seven BE-4 main engines at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The engines ignited at 9:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, burning for 38 seconds while the rocket remained secured to the launch pad. This hold-down test was the final major assessment before the rocket's upcoming launch.
"Love seeing New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines come alive! Congratulations to Team Blue on today’s hotfire," said Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin.
The engines operated at full power for 22 seconds, generating nearly 3.9 million pounds of thrust. Engineers also simulated the booster’s landing burn sequence by shutting down some of the BE-4 engines during the test. This procedure aims to enhance understanding of fluid interactions between active and inactive engine feedlines during landing.
The upcoming mission will carry NASA's Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE), consisting of two spacecraft designed to study the interaction between the solar wind and Mars' magnetosphere. The ESCAPADE mission is part of NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program and is led by the University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. The spacecraft were built by Rocket Lab and are scheduled to arrive at Mars in September 2027.
NASA awarded Blue Origin a task order to provide launch services for ESCAPADE under the agency’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract aims to lower launch costs for more risk-tolerant science payloads by using less agency oversight, granting commercial companies greater flexibility in managing launch services.
Following the test-firing, Blue Origin's ground crew will lower the 320-foot-tall rocket and transport it back to the hangar for inspections. Technicians will replace the payload fairing with another containing the ESCAPADE spacecraft in preparation for the upcoming launch.